The General (1927)
86%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 5 nominations
Brilliantly filmed and fueled with classic physical comedy, The General captures Buster Keaton at his timeless best
If you’re looking for a movie that’s got it all – action, comedy, and trains – then The General is the film for you. Buster Keaton’s death-defying stunts will leave you breathless, and the slapstick humor will have you rolling on the floor laughing. It’s like the Mad Max: Fury Road of the 1920s, but with less CGI and more actual danger. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride – just don’t try any of this at home.
Production Company(ies)
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Voletta Wallace Films, Bystorm Films,
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc., Radio Films S.A.E.S.A. [es], Andrés Vicente Gómez Montero [es], Reel Media International [us], United Artists, LS Video, Cineteca S.A., Aikman Video, Madacy Entertainment Group Inc. [us], Thames Video Collection, Kino Video, Republic Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Savannah, Georgia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for graphic images relating to sexual violence including a strong rape scene, some perverse sexuality, nudity and language
Year of Release
1927
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 23m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 1927 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy/Action
Keyword(s)
starring Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Joe Keaton, Frederick Vroom, directed by Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, written by Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, Buster Keaton, William Pittenger, Charles Smith, Paul Smith, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Drama, War, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Kempenaar, Kate Muir, Tim Robey, Philip Concannon, Bill Weber, Peter Bradshaw, MPAA rating, produced by Buster Keaton, Joseph M Schenck, aspect ratio, Image Entertainment Inc., Radio Films S.A.E.S.A [es], Andrés Vicente Gómez Montero [es], Reel Media International [us], United Artists, LS Video, Cineteca S.A., Aikman Video, Madacy Entertainment Group Inc [us], Thames Video Collection, Kino Video, Republic Pictures
Worldwide gross: $149,705,852
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $268,726,178
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 550
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 29,304,927
US/Canada gross: $102,705,852
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $184,359,868
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 404
US/Canada opening weekend: $22,332,053
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $40,086,658
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 308
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $95,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $170,527,649
Production budget ranking: 176
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $91,829,139
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,369,391
ROI to date (est.): 2%
ROI ranking: 1,385
Marion Mack – Annabelle Lee
Glen Cavender – Union Capt. Anderson, Chief Spy
Jim Farley – Gen. Thatcher
Joe Keaton – Union General
Frederick Vroom – Confederate General
Clyde Bruckman – Director, Writer
Buster Keaton – Director, Producer, Writer
Joseph M. Schenck – Producer
Al Boasberg – Writer
William Pittenger – Writer
Charles Smith – Writer
Paul Smith – Writer
Director(s)
Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Writer(s)
Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, Buster Keaton, William Pittenger, Charles Smith, Paul Smith
Producer(s)
Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (56) | Rotten (5)
“The Mad Max: Fury Road” of its day.”
May 27, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Adam Kempenaar
Filmspotting
TOP CRITIC
In these times when all risk is assumed by CGI effects, Keaton’s squealing funny, exquisitely timed, death-defying leaps are all the more breathtaking.
September 23, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The film boasts the most sustained passages of virtuoso slapstick genius Keaton ever shot, and an unflagging momentum that lets it get away with being a reel longer than most of his best-known pictures.
January 23, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A hilarious comedy and a thrilling action film. The General has it all.
January 23, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
Philip Concannon
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The General isn’t likely to be the favorite opus of the star’s purist fans, but it’s the one with the trappings of ambition and historical poesy
November 11, 2008 | Rating: 4/4
Bill Weber
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Spectacular chases, fires and explosions are captured with fluid camerawork. There are no stunt doubles for Keaton and of course no digital effects.
April 2, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
It’s hard to imagine Buster Keaton without trains.
May 13, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Keaton shows signs of vaulting ambition in The General… That he fails to get across is due to the scantiness of his material as compared with the length of his film; he has also displayed woefully bad judgment in deciding just where and when to stop.
October 7, 2021
Robert E. Sherwood
LIFE
Buster Keaton is brilliant in the film.
March 24, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
All but required viewing for anyone with an interest in comedy, film, film comedy, history, film history, or historical comedy film.
November 22, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
The peak of silent cinema.
August 11, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
One of the greatest of all silent films.
July 27, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
The naked corpse of Captain Elisabeth Campbell, daughter of Lieutenant General “Fighting Joe” Campbell, is found staked out on the urban warfare range of Fort MacCallum. Army CID detectives and ex-lovers Paul Brenner and Sara Sunhill are called in to investigate, and find themselves wrapped up in a maelstrom of sexual impropriety and misguided face-saving.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for The General.
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